Not taut

Latest answer — August 19, 2026

40 Down

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Clue explained

Something not taut is loose: its tension has been released or it hangs slack. LOOSE is the adjective required by the clue’s description.

Clue type:
Definition
A slack rope shown beside a taut rope.

NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, August 19, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Sahara-esque
  2. 5Exams for high school jrs.
  3. 10Private sleeping accommodations?
  4. 14"Didn't you get the ___?"
  5. 15Wipe from one's memory, so to speak
  6. 16Section in a textbook
  7. 17"___ She Lovely" (Stevie Wonder hit)
  8. 18Deceptive move in fencing
  9. 19Depend (on)
  10. 20Natural pillow filling
  11. 23Graffiti, to some
  12. 24Three unnamed things, in shorthand
  13. 25Quinceañeras, e.g.
  14. 28Lifted
  15. 30Services for senior citizens
  16. 34Hybrid tennis attire
  17. 36Word with pan, pump or paint
  18. 37___ Minor
  19. 38Unofficial vote
  20. 41President who was a heavyweight wrestling champion in college
  21. 44"___ got it!"
  22. 45Cats and dogs, for example
  23. 48Old West outlaw who left behind poetic messages after some robberies
  24. 51Excludes
  25. 53Mount ___ Health System
  26. 54Immature high score initials on an arcade game
  27. 56Something to trust
  28. 57Hides one's central point, in a way ... with a doubly homophonic hint to 20-, 30-, 38- and 48-Across
  29. 62They offer support
  30. 64Speak at a political convention, perhaps
  31. 65Field
  32. 66Facility
  33. 672008 film about a solitary trash-compacting robot
  34. 68Semiaquatic relative of a weasel
  35. 69Blue No. 1 and Yellow No. 6
  36. 70Fall bloom
  37. 71Cave wall hangings?

Down

  1. 1Female friends from Fuenlabrada
  2. 2Some vacation destinations
  3. 3"My mood is pretty low"
  4. 4Top three sights in Fiji?
  5. 5Like eyes during an allergy attack
  6. 6"Bless you!" elicitor
  7. 7___ Minor
  8. 8Something that's pitched
  9. 9"Family Guy" creator MacFarlane
  10. 10Set of courses offered
  11. 11Miserable rating
  12. 12"___ death do us part"
  13. 13What a parent might compare a messy bedroom to
  14. 21Put forth
  15. 22Drop the ball
  16. 26Verbal hesitations
  17. 27Neptune's territory
  18. 29Situations one might no longer put effort into
  19. 31Drop
  20. 32Drop
  21. 33North Carolina university
  22. 35Chicago paper, with "the"
  23. 39___ Max, singer of the 2018 hit "Sweet but Psycho"
  24. 40Not taut
  25. 41Longtime "American Dad!" airer
  26. 422001 biopic starring Will Smith
  27. 43The "Beyhive" for Beyoncé, e.g.
  28. 46Country bordering Chad and Benin
  29. 47Lecture attendee
  30. 49___ royale (Champagne cocktail)
  31. 50Rat (on)
  32. 52They can be well-done
  33. 55See-through
  34. 58Part of the Corn Belt
  35. 59Important stretches
  36. 60The word "salary" derives from the Latin for this
  37. 61What a shepherd may shepherd
  38. 62Bouncy part of a trampoline
  39. 63"A drop of golden sun," in song

The answer to “Not taut” in the New York Times crossword is LOOSE — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 19, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 40-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Not taut” answer

LOOSE (5 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is LOOSE.

What does LOOSE mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of LOOSE is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(adjective)

  • not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached
  • (of a garment) not fitting tightly or closely
  • not close, compact, or solid in structure or formation

When else has “Not taut” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

August 19, 2026 (most recent) → LOOSE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Not taut”?

The answer is LOOSE, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 19, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Not taut”?

5 letters: LOOSE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 19, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 40-Down.

Can “Not taut” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for August 19, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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